Of Warcraft, and Weltschmerz
by James Tuddrussell
Summary: Two bothers on the run from the law, a cowardly mage with a mysterious past, a priestess exiled from her homeland, and an accident prone paladin must fight to survive the oncoming storm.


Author notes: My first attempt at a Warcraft story.

An odd fruit is rolling down a small hill, near a glowing tree on Teldrassil. The fruit stops in the middle of a path, and next to an apple. A small worm bursts forth from his home within a soggy brown part of an otherwise perfect fruit. "Today I'm going to tell my girlfriend I love her." Whispered the worm. The worm sighs in a loving way, then looks to his mate in the apple next to him. He sees her and the apple getting squashed by a giant boot, then vertigo hits him like a ton of bricks.

A dwarf paladin is walking down a road munching on a familiar looking fruit. "Mmm, appley with a hint of nuttiness"

Of Warcraft, and Weltschmerz, Chapter One: Of Beginnings, and Beguilement.

A human rogue flies into a filthy wall in a secluded alley in Old Town. A rough looking guard kicks the rogue in the stomach. The guard tries to kick him again, but finds that his leg is bound by roots. "It would make me less angry if you apologize to my younger brother, regardless of his transgressions." Said a voice from behind the guard. Charlie Eckard, rolls onto his back. He sees his brother John hoisting the guard, that he "borrowed" a few gold coins from, onto a nearby lamp. John turned to face his brother, and waved his now glowing hand in his direction. Charlie's ribs move back into place, and his minor cuts and abrasions fade as if they were never there. "You know there will be wanted posters of both of us all across the city by tomorrow right?" Charlie looks away in what might actually be genuine shame. (you never can tell with rogues) John sighs, he's pretty much used to his brother getting them in trouble. "Let's go stock up, we're going to have to stay out of Stormwind until the heat dies down." Charlies eyes light up. "You mean we're going on an adventure!?" John groans, then nods reluctantly. Charlie gets up, and brushes the dust off his Blackened Defias Trousers (Which he "borrowed" from the corpse of a gangster), and Went to the nearest shoppe to pick up some poison.

John Eckard is a complex person, from an early age he had a kinship with the natural world. When he was fifteen he met a member of the Cenarion Circle named Fylerian Nightwing, who immediately saw his potential, and decided to train him in the ways of balance. He trained with Fylerian for five years, but all was not well in Azeroth. John's parents were killed by the scourge, and his brother was forced to live on the cold harsh streets of Stormwind. Charlie learned to thieve and pilfer like the best of them. He honed his skills with the dagger, and learned much in the way of stealth by sneaking around Old Town at night. When John returned to find that his family had been slain by the scourge, and that his brother had been living on the streets. He Swore to protect his brother, and to kill the Lich King.

"Five gold!" The vendor looks at Charlie, and sighs. "It's some bits from a spider carcass, an' a bent sword.... I'm not giving you more than twelve silver fer the lot of it." Charlie does some quick calculations. "Three gold, eight silver?" The vendor covers his eyes with his hand. "Ugh!"

"No, it should be wider at the end." The Woodworker glares at him. "But, tha' would make it top 'eavy!" John looks vaguely annoyed. "It's a bat... It's not like I'm going to balance it on my head as I slay murlocs, and rescue priestesses in distress." The dwarven artisan looks at a dowel in quiet contemplation. "I dunno, it goes against my professional pride te make something so unbalanced." John shows him his money pouch. "I'll give you an extra fifty silver." The dwarf twitches. "Fine I'll throw in an extra gold coin, if you're quick about it." The dwarf's eyes widen. "Sold!"

"Two gold, six silver." The vendor bangs his head on his desk, and groans loudly. "twelve silver, and no more!"

John places his new bat onto the table of one of the wizards at the mage tower. "Enchant this."

The wizard looks at him. "With what, my good sir?" John blinks. "Huh... give it the best enchantment you can." The wizard thinks for a bit. "Hmm, hows about I increase it's durability, and give it plus seventeen striking." John cogitates on this proposal. "Sure, why not?" The wizard enchants the bat, then hands it to him. "That will be forty gold." The wizard will wake up several hours later totally naked, hanging from the side of the tower, and with all his stuff gone. At least he learned a valuable life lesson.

John, and Charlie meet near the gates of Stormwind. "How much did you get for that garbage?" Charlie smiled. "One gold, four silver." John smirks then starts walking out of town. "I got a new bat." He thinks for a bit. "And, I owe a few hundred gold to a wizard at the Mage Tower." Charlie looks at his brother suspiciously.

John, and Charlie are walking down the road to Goldshire. John had flung several Cutpurses out of the way with roots. When they made it to Goldshire, they had a choice to make: Left, or right? Charlie proposed going straight, and heading to Duskwood. John starts heading towards The Redridge Mountains. "Where are you going?" John looks back. "You can cross a smelly, cold, and swift river. Then spend a while dodging giant spiders, dire wolves, Worgen, and zombies. Enjoying the scenery, which is a rotting, web infested, haunted forest of perpetual night if you want. But, I am going this way." Charlie hesitated for a bit, then ran after his brother.

"Wait!" A half-elf mage runs onto the road behind the Eckard brothers, then ran after them. A small army of murlocs follows him. A blast of blue light bursts forth from the mage, and froze the murlocs in place. The mage disappeared only to reappear slammed into a tree. John groaned, then wrapped some roots around his legs and made rope from some vines. He proceeds to drag the mage down the road. "Why are you taking him?" Charlie asks. "Hmm, he might be useful..." Charlie goes along with it, it's not like he particularly cares about the mage's wellbeing. The mage's crotch slams into a rock in the road and he flips over. Charlie notices. "Maybe you shouldn't be dragging him." John looks back at the mage. "He's fine... if he gets too banged up, I can always heal him." They continue on their way.

Tyrande Whisperwind is hit by a small vial filled with a strange fluid. Her adversary The Arch Druid Fandral Staghelm had used a special potion made of morrograin to curse her with an inability to resurrect. His druids flooded into the temple of the moon, and trapped all the priestesses with roots. "I have come to take what is mine Tyrande, for too long I have stayed my hand... tonight you DIE!" Tyrande stands up. Her eyes are glowing brighter then the last time she saw Malfurian... only they now burned not with love, but in it's stead a darker sort of passion: rage. She hit Fandral with her moonfire spell, knocking him back. She then took out several of the druids guarding him with glowing arrows. She hit The Arch Druid in the chest with several smites, but it was too late. Fandral caught her with his roots and hit her with his hurricane spell. If anyone was looking, they would have noticed that the moon had dimmed just a bit. The Arch Druid, and new ruler of the night elves Fandral Staghelm declares The Sisters of Elune traitors, and orders their execution. In the morning he shall cut off all ties with the alliance, and close Teldrassil's borders. Invaders are to be slain on the spot.

Later that night a priestess sat alone crying, she had melded into the shadows and managed to escape while the druids were busy. She cried for Tyrande, She cried for her sisters, and she also cried for the home she must leave behind. In the morning a fisherman in Rut'theran Village will find his that his boat had gone missing.

To be continued...


End file.
